Aliit
by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude
Summary: (The Mandalorian) After saving the child, he comes to an important realization. Takes place between Episode 3 and Episode 4.


**I do not own Star Wars in any capacity.**

**(I promise I'll get back to The Undeserving after this :P)**

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Now that they were safely away, the other members of the Convert covering their escape, the ship was almost eerily quiet. He didn't know why the silence was so uncomfortable. It was something he should be used to after the countless number of long hyperspace jumps he's made alone. Perhaps it was because of the chaos he had just walked away from. Chaos he had created in order to save the child.

The child. He turned in his seat and looked down. They were sitting right next to him, gently mouthing the durasteel ball. He gazed down at them for a long moment, trying to process what was wrong with this picture. It wasn't just the fact that they no longer had their bassinet.

Then he realized: the quiet. The kid was usually cooing or giggling or _ something_. But right now they were silent, looking downward as they played with their improvised toy.

He wondered if the kid was just exhausted by what just happened. He had no idea what the Client and that doctor had done to them before he got there. It had been shocking how calm they had been during that shootout, but maybe they had just been overwhelmed.

"I suppose you should get some sleep." He leaned down to pick the child up… only to have the child flinch away from him, looking startled as they looked up at him with wide eyes.

He slowly drew his hands away, an uncomfortable pit in his stomach. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have left you with them."

They blinked up at him in confusion. Then they got up with some difficulty, their left arm tucked in to their side as they gripped the ball tightly in their right hand. He frowned when he saw this. "Are you hurt?"

Once the child stood, they looked up at him again. They had a disturbingly neutral expression as they waddled forward and leaned against his older greave, still as silent as ever.

He let out a grave hum. Even if the doctor said he had saved the child's life, that didn't mean he left it unharmed. "Okay, c'mon," he murmured, gently wrapping his hands around the child and picking them up. Thankfully, they didn't flinch this time as he tucked the child to the nook of his arm and headed deeper into the ship. He headed down to his cabin where he had a medkit with a scanner.

As he set the child down on his bunk and pulled out the scanner, he thought about where the child would sleep now. He didn't have the bassinet anymore and he wasn't sure he had anything around on the ship that could serve as a reasonable substitute.

Without knowing this child's actual species, he set the scanner for GEN before waving it over their body. As the scanner beeped softly, the child let out a small distressed moan and scooted back from.

"I'm sorry, little one…" he said with genuine regret, recalling the cold way the Client and doctor had scanned him earlier. Thankfully, the scan was over quickly, and he looked over the results. It brought attention to the child's arm, the one they were cradling close to their body.

With a soft sigh, he knelt down next to the bunk to look at the child more directly. "Hey, kid. Could I get a look at your arm?" He pointed at it to make sure they knew what he was talking about.

The child just gave a quiet moan, gazing at him with that distressingly blank expression. He hadn't noticed as they were escaping, but the child had obviously been affected by what had happened today.

He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out. There was no changing the past, but he had to accept the consequences of it. Everything had changed, and he had to change along with it lest he made everything even worse.

He had gone back because this child had saved him. Because they didn't deserve whatever fate the Client had in mind for them.

_ He looked up at the armored hand, trembling violently from fear. This person had saved him but he didn't know them. His parents were dead, the droids only barely driven back… And he couldn't even see his face_.

But even this was different. He couldn't quite explain it, but he could feel it in his bones. This wasn't just an asset or a child completely detached from him. It didn't make sense, but he knows he can trust his instincts. And his instincts were telling him a single thing: this child was his _ verd'ika_.

He grabbed either side of his helmet and pulled it off, setting it aside and mussing his hair to loosen it. He took a steadying breath as he looked down at the kid with his own eyes. The first sentient he's looked in the eye since he was a child himself.

The child's eyes somehow widened as they stared at him. They let out a soft moan as they leaned forward towards him.

"_Al… Aliit ori'shya tal'din_," he said softly. He knew the child couldn't understand what he was saying, but it was important for him to say it nonetheless.

And yet, the child suddenly smiled, relaxing as they sat down on the bunk. He didn't know how, but the child understood. Somehow… they understood.

He gently grabbed the kid's left arm and pulled towards him. The kid didn't resist at all, just continuing to smile and coo at him. He gently pushed the sleeve up, and felt a hot coal of anger ignited at the sight of a small hole surrounded by a large bruise. Clearly a large needle had been forced into their arm at some point. It was obviously hurting the kid, as they hadn't moved it since they had had been rescued.

"I've got a bit of bacta and some perigen," he narrated as he pulled them out of the medkit. Even if they didn't understand him, they seemed to find his voice soothing, which was not nothing. "I'll rub them on and then give you a bandage."

The child's eyes followed him as he pulled off his gloves and got out the bacta. He put a small drop on his finger and gently rubbed it over the track. The kid was more lively now, making curious noises and chewing on the durasteel ball as they watched him work.

He put on some perigen over the bruise before wrapping it up in a small bandage. "Should be good by morning," he said, pulling the child's sleeve back down.

The child yawned widely with a soft groan before laying down and curling up in the middle of his bunk. Within moments, their breathing had evened out and they fell asleep.

He supposed his bunk was suitable until they found a better solution. He pulled the blanket up and over the child, tucking them in. They let out a soft sigh and nuzzled into the blanket in their sleep.

He couldn't help but smile. "Sleep well, little one."

Getting up with a groan, he climbed back up into the cockpit and pulled up a star map, searching for an isolated planet where they could start anew.

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